Street-network Sprawl in Oruro, Bolivia

What is Street-network sprawl?

Street-network Sprawl is a way to measure urban sprawl, worldwide, through the connectedness of the streets. Less sprawl means more connected, more walkable streets. Well-connected streets – like New York City’s grid – are more walkable and can be served by public transit.

The street network is permanent, and its connectivity affects the livability and environmental footprint of cities for decades and centuries to come. In places with more connected streets, residents drive less and walk more. A well-connected street network is associated with better outcomes for health, the environment, sustainable consumption, social integration, and equity.

We can quantify how connected street networks are with the Street Network Disconnectedness Index (SNDi).

SNDi -- our measure of street-network sprawl (disconnectedness)

The SNDi is a comprehensive measurement of “sprawl”. It captures:

A higher SNDi means less-connected streets – i.e., more sprawl. For the 10137 cities in our dataset, the average SNDi is 2.25, with half of the cities' SNDis falling between 1.08 and 3.25.

More information on the sprawl index can be found in these research papers:

To see the state of street-network sprawl across the globe, visit the sprawlmap.

Oruro: city in Bolivia

What exactly constitutes the spatial extent of the city? For these aggregations, we used the Global Human Settlement Layer Urban Center Database (GHS-UCDB) to define the boundaries of the city. These cities -- or urban centers -- cover areas that are densely populated and built-up, and so may extend beyond the spatial borders of these cities that we may be familiar with. The GHS area is shaded in blue.

View Oruro, Bolivia on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Oruro as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.47, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.14, 0.26, 0.48 and 0.9. In each period, new street development in Oruro steadily grows more disconnected than in the last.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Oruro spans a total of 860 kilometers. The period with the greatest volume of street construction was 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 0.9, which is relatively well-connected.

Effect on the aggregate network: New construction in each period adds to the total stock of streets, but does not change streets that have already been built. Therefore, it has a limited effect on the street network as a whole. The SNDis of the aggregate street network in the respective time periods are 0.14, 0.21, 0.28 and 0.47. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Oruro has become more disconnected.

Oruro and Oruro do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Oruro rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Oruro was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Oruro fare in comparison to others in Oruro? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Oruro was the 1st-most disconnected out of the 1 cities in Oruro. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Oruro ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

Oruro and Bolivia do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Oruro rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Bolivia was at its lowest in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Oruro fare in comparison to others in Bolivia? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Oruro was the 7th-most disconnected out of the 13 cities in Bolivia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Bolivia, street construction in Oruro has become more disconnected. Oruro ranked 10th in 1975, 8th in 1976-1990, 11th in 1991-2000 and 7th in 2001-2014.

Oruro and Oruro do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Oruro rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Oruro was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

To date, Oruro is the 1st-most disconnected out of the 1 cities in Oruro. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Oruro ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

Oruro and Bolivia do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Oruro rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Bolivia was at its lowest in 1991-2000.

To date, Oruro is the 11th-most disconnected out of the 13 cities in Bolivia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Bolivia, the street network in Oruro has become more connected. Oruro ranked 10th in 1975, 12th in 1976-1990, 12th in 1991-2000 and 11th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Oruro had a built-up area of 19.52 square kilometers, and a population of 265596 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: